To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press 
San Mateo County residents met with officials from the Police Department and the Sheriff's Office to request transparency in data on arrests, detentions, and other security issues in the area, which they believe are disproportionately high against communities of color.

During a session between organizations, authorities, academics and the general community of the county entitled "Police surveillance in San Mateo: data, impact and discussion," residents of the county expressed their concern about the differential treatment that exists between residents of color, mainly African Americans and Latinos, as opposed to Caucasian people, who, they pointed out, are not considered in the same way, and are not cataloged in databases as gang members or criminals.

According to Shara Watkins, a trustee of the San Mateo-Foster City School Board, “What is happening nationally with regard to the murder of African Americans is also happening in San Mateo County. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there are problems and prejudices in the police system and it will not be easy to eliminate them.”

For his part, San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolaños said he is open to suggestions to improve services, as well as to allowing transparency of data from the office he represents. He also assured that throughout his career he has always conducted himself and made those under his command conduct themselves in an impartial manner and in accordance with the law.

"In my 42 years in law enforcement, I have always ensured and pushed to ensure that we treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of race, gender or orientation, or anything else," he said.

However, he acknowledged that there are prejudices on the part of members of his Office, and stressed that, in order to combat this problem and address it effectively, it is necessary to work together with the community.

“We need partnerships with other stakeholders to effectively address this issue. If there is data that we are not putting out there, the only way to determine that is through communication.”

San Mateo County Sheriff Ed Barberini, who has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement, agreed with Sheriff Bolanos, stating that the task of eliminating bias in the security system requires the collaboration of authorities, organizations and, above all, the community. 

Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) Executive Director Malissa Netane-Jones reminded that the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) is coming to San Mateo County.

The purpose of this law is to eliminate racial and identity profiling, as well as to improve diversity, racial identity, and sensitivity in its application. “That is about to happen.”

Both Bolaños and Barberini agreed that one way to change the data on security is to focus on the youth in the community, building a relationship of trust between both parties from an early age, and that these actions are reinforced at home by parents.

They said another proposal is to maintain a close relationship with immigrant communities in the county, many of whom come from countries where their confidence in law enforcement is not high.

"We want to build better communities. It's really about communities getting to know us as simple human beings and getting us out and listening to their fears and concerns and trying to resolve them," Bolaños said.

"I think the juvenile component is important. Our mission here is similar to a public defender, it is to do everything possible to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system," Barberini said.

“We all know what happens when a youth gets involved in the criminal justice system. It’s very hard sometimes. It’s a difficult cycle. We work with families in a prevention program, where if there are signs, we can get referrals from officers who develop relationships in the field with families who are concerned about our youth and offer those resources up,” she added.

Experts who participated in the dialogue stressed that the fight for a better judicial system, as well as for a better security force, must be holistic and comprehensive, with programs that involve non-profit organizations, authorities and the community.

You may be interested in: Redwood City Names New Mayor and Vice Mayor

By Andrea Hernandez. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Through a livestream, Giselle Hale was officially appointed, by unanimous vote, as Mayor of Redwood City, to serve in the position for the next two years and relieve Diane Howard, who has held the position since 2018. In turn, Hale will be replaced as Vice Mayor by Diana Reddy.

During the event, Hale thanked her family, friends and Diane Howard who have supported her on her journey to become mayor.

He also spoke about the priorities he will have during his administration, such as the Redwood City housing program, which he considers essential since he highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the housing problem.

She also said she is especially interested in encouraging access to mental health programs, which she believes have a "stigma" in the United States, but are highly necessary due to the ravages left by the pandemic and the ones she experienced personally.

 “During the first year of COVID, my oldest daughter was diagnosed with multiple learning differences. Even in normal times, this would be a challenge for any parent. Getting her tested, getting on the right waiting lists, and reading to understand her options was overwhelming. In terms of her medications, it triggered mental health episodes for the family. Not being able to help my daughter when she needed it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever had, and it led to a personal struggle with depression and anxiety. When I realized she needed support, it wasn’t easy to find. But with the help of a persistent husband and my friends, I was able to find it. She and I are both doing well now, but the experience made us realize how quickly things can change. It’s what gave me the motivation to help heal our community.”

In response, she mentioned that there is an initiative in San Mateo County that seeks to raise awareness and increase access to mental health services.

Ultimately, as mayor, Hale hopes to create a community where people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds can thrive, grow and retire.

Who is Giselle Hale, the new mayor of Redwood City?

Giselle Hale comes from humble roots, she began working at the age of 14 to support her family's solvency, she has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin from which she graduated with honors and later obtained a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

In 2014, Hale began serving as a Redwood City Planning Commissioner, and before her daughters were school age, she supported education, joining the board of directors of the Redwood City Education Foundation in 2017, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide quality public education for all students in the Redwood City School District.

You may be interested in: Do Not Divide Redwood City: Citizens

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
After a jury found defendant Randall J. Neustaedter guilty of nine felony counts in connection with the sexual assault of three women who had been patients at his clinic on Woodside Road in Redwood City in 2015 after less than a full day of deliberations last October, he was ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The District Attorney's office said the first victim had purchased three acupuncture sessions with the defendant through Groupon at the time. The first two sessions went off without incident, but during the third session, the defendant offered her an "acupuncture massage" in which he touched her genitals inappropriately, forcing her to flee the clinic. 

Following the incident, the victim reported the defendant to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. After the defendant was arrested and the case appeared in the newspaper, two more victims came forward and informed the police that the same thing had happened to them in 2013.

Neustaedter's Oct. 6 convictions included gross sexual penetration, gross sexual assault, misdemeanor sexual assault, among other charges. 

As Neustaedter was sentenced Friday, several victims spoke in court or read statements, while the convicted man spoke out and expressed remorse, prosecutors said.

At the time of the incident, the prosecutor was Alpana Samant and the investigating officer was San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Detective Scott Berberian.

Thus, Randall Neustaedter, 70, will serve his sentence in the San Mateo County jail.

The convict's next court appearance will be on January 27 for a restitution hearing.

You may be interested in: Uber to pay $9 million for evading reporting of sexual crimess

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
¿Sabía que hay un plan para rediseñar la representación estatal y dividir Redwood City: la mitad de la ciudad  quedaría en el condado de San Mateo y la otra en el condado Santa Clara con propósitos electorales? 

Así lo informaron residentes de la ciudad, quienes a través de un breve comunicado destacaron que la medida «¡No tiene sentido y pasará sin que los residentes puedan dar su opinión!

Ante dichas circunstancias,  solicitaron a la ciudadanía  llamar este lunes en punto de las 13:00 h a la organización We draw the Lines California para decidir el futuro de Redwood City.

Residentes han llamado a apoyar el mapa enviado por Verónica Escámez que mantiene a Redwood City en su totalidad  en el condado de San Mateo.

Los residentes pueden agregar cualquier información personal sobre por qué apoya que Redwood City se quede en el condado de San Mateo. La audiencia comienza a la 13:00 y deberá esperar hasta que se solicite un comentario público:

Para hacer comentarios públicos durante la reunión, llame al 877-853-5247 e ingrese el código: 884 6542 9407 * 9 .

Además, puede escribir  a través del enlace https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/contact.

Es preferible realizarlos vía telefónica, y entre más llamadas se reciban para apoyar que Redwood City continúe en su totalidad en el condado de San Mateo será mejor.

Y es que, la Comisión de Redistribución de Distritos de California está finalizando los nuevos mapas para los Distritos de la Asamblea y del Congreso. 

Esta arbitraria división corta la voz de los ciudadanos sobre las decisiones políticas clave que impactan  a las escuelas, entre otras importantes decisiones.

«Como una de las comunidades marginadas en cualquiera de los condados, creemos que es importante mantener nuestra voz. Necesitamos una acción inmediata y rápida para que nuestro mensaje sea escuchado», precisaron residentes de Redwood City.

You may be interested in: Immigrants at risk of losing power after redistricting in San Mateo

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
El Departamento de Policía de Redwood City informó del arresto a tres hombres ‒uno de ellos menor de edad‒ sospechosos de cometer robo a mano armada en el área, mismos que ya se encuentran en la cárcel del condado de San Mateo en espera de que reciban sentencia por sus delitos.

Los arrestos se dieron luego de que el pasado miércoles 1 de diciembre, aproximadamente a las 02:15, un oficial de policía de Redwood City estaba patrullando en la cuadra 400 de Woodside Road cuando observó a tres sujetos salir del 7-Eleven, correr hacia un vehículo estacionado cercano y huir del lugar.

Upon observation, the officer made contact with the employee of the establishment, who told him that the subjects had just committed an armed robbery of the business. 

El oficial pudo alcanzar al vehículo que huía e intentó detenerlo, sin embargo, este no cedió y entró en la autopista 101 en dirección sur desde Woodside Road.

De acuerdo con un comunicado, elementos de la policía persiguieron al vehículo que huía hasta la salida de Marsh Road en donde se estrelló. Los ocupantes intentaron huir del vehículo, pero fueron detenidos rápidamente por los oficiales de policía de Redwood City y Menlo Park. 

En el lugar se localizó una pistola 9mm cargada, junto con varios cientos de dólares en moneda estadounidense que se cree fueron tomados en el robo. 

Los sospechosos fueron identificados como Jylyn Richardson Green, residente de Pittsburg; Deshawn Carter, de Hayward; y un menor de 15 años también habitante de Hayward. 

Los tres implicados fueron tratados en un hospital local por heridas leves sufridas como resultado de la colisión del vehículo. Una vez que fueron dados de alta, los dos adultos sospechosos fueron ingresados ​​en la cárcel del condado de San Mateo por robo, conspiración, evasión de delitos graves y portar un arma de fuego cargada. 

While the juvenile suspect was booked into Hillcrest Juvenile Services Center on the same charges. 

Cabe destacar que durante la persecución del vehículo sospechoso, un vehículo de la policía de Redwood City estuvo involucrado en la colisión de vehículos individuales, y el oficial sufrió heridas leves.

Ante los eventos, las autoridades recomendaron a cualquier persona que pueda tener información adicional sobre este incidente a que se comunique con el detective Freitas al 650-780-7138, o con la línea de información del Departamento de Policía de Redwood City al 650-780-7110.

You may be interested in: Community and authorities will analyze the impact of the police in San Mateo

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Con la finalidad de explorar y comprender mejor el impacto de la vigilancia policial en las comunidades del condado de San Mateo, autoridades y organizaciones, analizarán en un foro en el que podrán participar los residentes, la aplicación de la ley para que sirva mejor a las necesidades de todos los que viven en el área.

El encuentro será de manera virtual y de acceso gratuito este lunes 6 de diciembre de 14:00 a 16:00.

Esta sesión se da en el marco de los acontecimientos recientes de seguridad a nivel local y nacional, los cuales han aumentado la conciencia colectiva sobre el impacto dispar que la policía puede tener en diversas comunidades.

This is the first of two meetings to explore the issue in San Mateo County. 

En esta primera reunión se buscará ahondar y entender qué información hay sobre la actividad policial y las disparidades raciales en el condado de San Mateo, cómo encontrar dicha información, y qué significa o cómo se interpretan estos datos.

Se presentará un estudio de un caso real sobre cómo obtener datos sobre la vigilancia policial, revisar los arrestos y disparidades raciales en el condado, y luego habrá una conversación facilitada entre investigadores, fuerzas del orden, quienes trabajan con la justicia juvenil y activistas comunitarios.

Organizaciones como Peninsula Family Service y Thrive Alliance dijeron que están comprometidos con un diálogo que construya comunidades sólidas. 

«Nos estamos uniendo para coproducir esta convocatoria para crear un entorno en el que todas las organizaciones sin fines de lucro, policía, ciudad, condado, vecindarios y vecinos puedan aprender y crecer. La vigilancia es parte integral del tejido de nuestras sociedades, y tener conversaciones francas, equilibradas y bien informadas nos beneficia a todos», refirieron en un comunicado.

Esta sesión será moderada por la directora ejecutiva del Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, Malissa Netane-Jones. 

Entre los participantes se encuentran el jefe de policía de San Mateo, Ed Barberini; el alguacil del condado de San Mateo, Carlos G. Bolaños; la directora de Fresh Lifelines for Youth San Mateo, Kate Hiester; el director de políticas del Public Policy Institute of California, Magnus Lofstrom; el candidato a maestría de Stanford, Andrew Skelton; y la fideicomisaria de SMFCSD, Shara Watkins.

Cabe destacar que la charla si bien se llevará a cabo en idioma inglés, habrá interpretación al español.

Es necesario que los que estén interesados en participar se inscriban al evento, lo cual puede hacer dando click here.

You may be interested in: San Mateo launches program to address mental health emergencies